Nonpartisan Education Review (Jul 2018)
DCPS closes 15 schools in 2013: Parents' lawsuit yields >18,000 pages of internal DCPS emails and emails between DCPS managers and foundation donors relating to the closure. They reveal much more about the relationship between foundation donors and DCPS managers that the public rarely sees.
Abstract
Following announcement of the closure of 15 Washington, D.C. Public Schools in 2013 by DCPS Chancellor Kaya Henderson, several parents of children in the affected schools, assisted by Empower DC, filed suit in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to halt the closure of the schools: Shannon Marie Smith [parent], et al., plaintiffs v Kaya Henderson [DCPS chancellor], et al., defendants; Case No. 1:13-CV-00420JEB. The suit was ultimately unsuccessful and the schools were closed. During litigation, the judge ordered DCPS to release email communications relevant to the case. Over 18,000 pages of internal DCPS emails from 2011 through early 2013 were released to the plaintiffs. They reveal the close and largely unreported collaboration of the chancellor and top staff with the DC Public Education Fund (DCPEF), which represents the foundations ("donors") that fund "education reform" programs in DCPS, facilitates their donations to DCPS and organizes private meetings for the chancellor to brief the donors. The emails are posted in the following searchable pdf files (each number represents a single page).
